Bonjour !
Welcome to our final lesson in this course. In our previous session, we learned the crucial step of asking if the customer needs any more help (Y a-t-il autre chose que je puisse faire pour vous ?). This sets the stage for a smooth and professional end to the conversation.
Today, we will master the very last step: thanking the customer and using appropriate closing phrases. This is your final opportunity to leave the customer with a positive impression of you and your company. By the end of this lesson, you will have a complete set of phrases to handle a professional call from start to finish, from the initial greeting to the final "au revoir".
1. The Anatomy of a Professional Call Closing
A good closing is more than just a quick "goodbye." It's a structured farewell that reinforces professionalism and customer care. As you'll see in our resources, it generally consists of three key parts:
- Thanking the customer for their call.
- Wishing them well (e.g., a good day or evening).
- Saying a final, polite goodbye.
Let's explore the essential phrases for each of these steps.
Clore la communication : formules et règles d'usages
The article 'Clore la communication' from the Office québécois de la langue française is an excellent guide for formal closing phrases. It provides clear, standard language for professional contexts.
Please read the section titled 'Remercier et saluer la personne'. Pay close attention to the bulleted examples, as they provide the core phrases we will be working with.
As the article shows, the phrases are straightforward and polite. Let's combine this with a few more options to build your toolkit.
2. Building Your Closing Phrases
Here are the key phrases, broken down by their function. You can mix and match them to create a natural and professional closing.
Step 1: Thanking the Customer
This acknowledges the customer's time and effort in contacting you.
Merci de votre appel.- Thank you for your call. (Standard and polite)Je vous remercie de votre appel.- I thank you for your call. (Slightly more formal)Merci pour votre patience.- Thank you for your patience. (Excellent to use if the call was long or required troubleshooting)Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise].- Thank you for calling [Company Name].
Step 2: Wishing Them Well
This adds a personal, courteous touch. The phrase you choose depends on the time of day.
Bonne journée.- Have a good day. (Used until late afternoon)Bonne fin de journée.- Have a good rest of the day. (Perfect for the afternoon)Bonne soirée.- Have a good evening. (Used in the evening)Je vous souhaite une excellente journée/soirée.- I wish you an excellent day/evening. (A more formal and very polite option)
Step 3: The Final Goodbye
Au revoir.- Goodbye. (The universal standard)À bientôt.- See you soon. (Can be used if you expect future contact, butAu revoiris safer and more common in a first-time interaction).
3. Putting It All Together: Complete Closing Formulas
Now, let's combine these elements into complete, professional sentences.
Faire un bon accueil téléphonique : 18 phrases types - Thelem
The article 'Faire un bon accueil téléphonique' also provides excellent examples of how to end the call on a positive note. Let's look at their suggestions.
Find the section titled 'Savoir dire au revoir' and read the example phrases. Notice how they combine thanking the customer with wishing them a good day.
Here are some of the most effective combinations you can use:
| Phrase | Translation | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
Merci de votre appel. Bonne journée, monsieur/madame. |
Thank you for your call. Have a good day, sir/ma'am. | A simple, all-purpose, and professional closing. |
Je vous remercie de votre appel et je vous souhaite une excellente journée. Au revoir. |
I thank you for your call and wish you an excellent day. Goodbye. | A very polite and slightly more formal option. |
Merci pour votre patience. Passez une bonne fin de journée. |
Thank you for your patience. Have a good rest of the day. | Great after a long troubleshooting session in the afternoon. |
N'hésitez pas à nous rappeler. Merci de votre appel et bonne soirée. |
Don't hesitate to call us again. Thank you for your call and have a good evening. | Reassuring and polite, perfect for an evening call. |
Test your understanding!
It's 11 AM. You have just finished helping a customer named Madame Leclerc. You want to thank her for her call and end the conversation. Which of the following is the most appropriate closing phrase?
Merci pour votre patience. Bonne soirée, madame.Au revoir.Merci de votre appel. Je vous souhaite une bonne journée, madame Leclerc.D'accord, bonne journée.
Show answer
3. Merci de votre appel. Je vous souhaite une bonne journée, madame Leclerc.
This is the best option because it includes the thank you (Merci de votre appel), the appropriate well-wish for the time of day (bonne journée), and personalizes it with the customer's name, which is very professional. Option 1 uses bonne soirée, which is for the evening. Options 2 and 4 are too brief and lack the professional touch of thanking the customer.
4. Watch and Listen: The Dos and Don'ts
Reading phrases is one thing, but hearing them in context is even better. This video will show you both excellent and poor examples of how to end a call.
Formation - Découvrir les bonnes et mauvaises pratiques en appel
The video 'Formation - Découvrir les bonnes et mauvaises pratiques en appel' by Aba Call Center provides dramatized examples of call center interactions. First, let's watch the professional way to 'prendre congé' (to take leave/end the call).
Watch the section from 14:22 to 15:26. Listen carefully to the phrases the agents use, such as 'je vous souhaite une excellente fin de journée' and 'nous sommes à votre disposition'. Notice their polite and calm tone.
Now that you've seen the right way to do it, it can be helpful to see what to avoid. The next part of the video humorously shows unprofessional ways to end a call, like being abrupt or making excuses. You don't need to study this part, but it clearly shows why the polite phrases we are learning are so important for leaving a good final impression.
5. Responding to "Thank You"
Often, after you thank the customer, they will thank you in return.
Customer:
Merci beaucoup pour votre aide.(Thank you very much for your help.)
Your response should be polite and professional. The standard phrase in French is Je vous en prie.
| Your Response | Translation & Note |
|---|---|
Je vous en prie. |
You're welcome. (This is the standard, formal reply.) |
De rien. |
You're welcome / It's nothing. (Common, but slightly less formal than Je vous en prie.) |
Avec plaisir. |
With pleasure. (A warm and positive response.) |
Ce fut un plaisir de vous aider. |
It was a pleasure to help you. |
Important: Avoid using Bienvenue. In English, we say "You're welcome," but in French, Bienvenue only means "Welcome" (as in, "Welcome to my home"). Using it to mean "you're welcome" is a common mistake for English speakers.
Conclusion and Course Wrap-up
Congratulations! You have now covered all the essential stages of a professional customer service call in French. Today, you learned how to end the call gracefully and professionally.
Key Takeaways:
- A professional closing has three parts: thanking the customer, wishing them well, and saying goodbye.
- Mastering phrases like
Merci de votre appel,Bonne journée, andAu revoiris essential. - Personalize the closing by using the customer's name and choosing a well-wish appropriate for the time of day.
- The correct response to "thank you" is
Je vous en prie.
This lesson concludes our course. You have built a strong foundation, moving from basic pronunciation and greetings all the way to managing complex interactions like troubleshooting and closing calls professionally. Your goal of working in a French-speaking call center is much closer now.
The key from this point forward is practice. Re-read the dialogues from our lessons, practice the phrases out loud, and try to create your own mini-scenarios. The more you use these phrases, the more natural they will become.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication throughout this course.
Je vous souhaite beaucoup de succès dans votre carrière ! (I wish you much success in your career!)